Feedback on Alpine Loop

[VeryConfusedAmerican]

Hey All,

Wife and I are heading out to Colorado this summer for a few days and was hoping to tackle the Alpine Loop while there. Was hoping to get some feedback/advice from any members who have done this trail/sections of it.

From reading/researching it seems the majority of the trail should be doable, with the main issues being Mineral Creek and Engineer Pass and this mainly due to Ground clearance and lack of a low range in the Bronco Sport.

To mitigate some of this concern, I do have a 2.5inch HRG Lift and will be putting 245/65/17 K02 or K03s before the trip. Overall clearance loaded down with gear and tires aired down should be between 10.2 inch and 10.5 inch on my Badlands.

My main question for anyone who has done this trail is where/how bad did you scrape while on the trail? I have a front skid from Rally Innovations that gives me peace of mind for the front bumper but am wondering if anyone had significant rubbing on the under body. Would love to avoid buying JCR skids if I can avoid it, tires going on are going to hit the wallet already. That being said if they are absolutely necessary, let me know!

A second question from someone who has never had a vehicle with low range, how necessary is it for this trail? Assuming the Trail Control in the Bronco Sport is the best bet/closest I'll get?

Thanks in advance for any advice or info you guys can give!

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[GJarrett]

I've done most all of the trails in that area years ago, but in a modified Ford Explorer. I cannot remember specifics but you should do fine, especially in a Badlands. I would think hard before taking the side trail off of Engineer Pass called Poughkeepsie Gulch; that might give you a problem or two... but otherwise you should be okay. It is a LONG day but worth every effort to do it, explore the abandoned mines, etc.

I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the Charles Wells "Guide to Colorado Backroads and 4 Wheel Drive" to use . It is worth its weight in gold as a point-by-point guide describing every section of the trails. Buy it now and study it.

I don't know all your plans but do not travel alone, if you need help or breakdown you'll be in the middle of Nowheresville. It would be advisable to have a CB; a lot of fourwheelers use them on the trail (often using channel 4 because, well, 4 wheeling).

You're going on a classic famous trail that is worth every penny to do it right. Get the skidplates - if you are going offroad you'll need them anyway.

If you stay off Poughkeepsie Gulch, lack of low range in a Badlands should not be a factor and you'll do fine.

Oh yeah, before I forget... buy the Charles Wells guidebook.

PS: buy the Charles Wells guidebook.

 

[VeryConfusedAmerican]

Thanks so much for the detailed response! Buying the book now!

 

[GJarrett]

I forgot to add... take the main Engineer Pass Trail entrance. I don't remember Mineral Creek but have since heard about it, and it sounds like a difficult route utilizing Poughkeepsie Gulch. I'd stay off of it; sounds like it requires 4wd, low range, and skidplates.

Something else to consider before you go:

Our BS is my wife's and she is out of state now so I cannot crawl under and look at it, so what I am about to suggest may take some figurating out on your own.

Another thing that I do not hear discussed here, but BS have pitiful flex on the trail, lifting one tire or the other all the time. To my knowledge no aftermarket has yet offered a quick anti-swaybar disconnect for us. If I was going to spend a full day or weekend on moderate 4wd trails, I would disconnect / remove one of my swaybar end links on both axles to allow much more flex on the trail. This will do two things: you will have much more traction available since all four tires will be on the ground much more often (we don't have awd if half of them are in the air), and the ride will be much, much smoother. On a rough moderate trail, you will feel like your teeth fillings got shaken out by the end of the day. Allowing flex will massively smooth out the ride.

Like I said, I cannot look under ours right now to figure out how easy this would be to do, but if I were you I'd seriously think about spending the time/effort to do that before you hit the trail. Not essential to do, but hooboy it makes a huge difference.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

You will have to let us know how it turns out. In my experience, many of the trails now are much worse than 10-20 years ago mainly due to the larger tires most are running and people just harder on the trails IMO.

 

[jkernitzki]

You will have to let us know how it turns out. In my experience, many of the trails now are much worse than 10-20 years ago mainly due to the larger tires most are running and people just harder on the trails IMO.

It’s the same all over. Lack of care or grooming except by a few clubs, and the explosion of SXS’s and juvenile morons behind the wheel are the bane of good trailing any more.

With what I’ve seen just in the last year, I sometimes wonder about my choice of the BS and my ability to enjoy it like an adult.

 

[GJarrett]

That's a shame and may negate some of my advice. I ran almost every trail in the Ouray area and also a lot at Moab, but that was 20 years ago. The Ouray area trails, Engineer Pass, Black Bear, etc left me with memories for a lifetime. Absolutely, stunningly gorgeous experience that I will treasure forever. So much so that my wife and I got married at the ledge on the Top of the World trail in Moab, and spent our honeymoon running the Ouray trails.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

That's a shame and may negate some of my advice. I ran almost every trail in the Ouray area and also a lot at Moab, but that was 20 years ago. The Ouray area trails, Engineer Pass, Black Bear, etc left me with memories for a lifetime. Absolutely, stunningly gorgeous experience that I will treasure forever. So much so that my wife and I got married at the ledge on the Top of the World trail in Moab, and spent our honeymoon running the Ouray trails.

It seems the sxs are the worst about creating new trails around obstacles. At the end, the BLM will keep closing down trails because of misuse.

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